Origin Quantum

Overview

Origin Quantum (本源量子) is China's leading full-stack quantum computing company, founded in 2017 as a spinout from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Hefei. The company designs, fabricates, and operates superconducting quantum processors under the 'Wukong' (悟空) brand name, while simultaneously developing the full hardware-software stack required to deliver usable quantum computing: custom cryogenic measurement-and-control electronics, a quantum operating system (Origin Pilot), EDA tools, and the QPanda/VQNet software development kits. This vertical integration strategy is deliberate — it reflects both a commercial ambition to be China's end-to-end quantum supplier and a strategic necessity given U.S. export controls that restrict access to foreign quantum components and tooling. Origin Quantum is widely regarded as China's designated national champion in the quantum computing sector, with deep institutional backing from state-funded research bodies and government procurement channels.

The company's commercial strategy rests on three pillars: domestic hardware supply to Chinese government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and universities; cloud-based access to its quantum processors through the Origin Quantum Cloud platform (accessible internationally, including to users outside China); and, increasingly, export sales of complete quantum computing systems. In May 2026, Origin Quantum claimed China's first successful export and commercial sale of a domestically produced quantum computing system — the Wukong-180 — a milestone with significant geopolitical as well as commercial implications. Concurrently, the company is pursuing institutional partnerships in international academic hubs, most recently signing an agreement with City University of Hong Kong to establish a joint Advanced Computing Centre, a move that analysts have connected to Hong Kong's role as a gateway for Chinese quantum firms navigating U.S. sanctions.

Origin Quantum's most current flagship system is the Wukong-180, a 180-qubit fourth-generation superconducting quantum computer launched in May 2026. This follows the earlier Wukong (悟空) 72-qubit third-generation system launched in January 2024. The company has recently added an 'Origin Brain' platform that integrates quantum hardware with AI workloads, and a 'smart computation' layer designed to improve classical-quantum hybrid usability. Independent performance benchmarks for the Wukong-180 have not yet been published, which limits external assessment of where the system sits relative to international competitors. No peer-reviewed gate fidelity, coherence time, or quantum volume data for the 180-qubit system has been released as of this writing.

In the global competitive landscape, Origin Quantum occupies a structurally unique position: it is not competing head-to-head with IBM or Google for enterprise customers in Western markets, but is instead the primary beneficiary of China's substantial state investment in quantum computing and the de facto supplier for Chinese sovereign quantum infrastructure. Its nearest Chinese competitors — SpinQ, QuantumCTek (focused on quantum communication rather than computing), and academic groups at Zhejiang University and Peking University — do not match its full-stack depth or state backing. Internationally, its superconducting approach puts it nominally in the same technology class as IBM, Google, and Rigetti, but qubit quality metrics and error correction maturity remain opaque and likely lag Western leaders. The IPO preparation reportedly underway would represent China's first major quantum computing public listing.

Leadership

Technology

Origin Quantum builds superconducting transmon-style qubit processors fabricated at its own facility in Hefei — a critical differentiator given export control constraints on semiconductor equipment. The company has pursued aggressive qubit scaling from its first-generation 6-qubit system (2020) through the current Wukong-180 at 180 qubits (2026), roughly doubling qubit count per generation over a four-to-five year span. Unlike Western competitors who often rely on third-party control electronics, Origin Quantum has developed its own measurement-and-control (M&C) hardware stack, which it claims reduces system latency and improves coherence management, and which it also sells separately as a commercial product.